As the Clone Wars scorched on in the galaxy, Pre Vizsla and Katan found an escape pod containing the two SithForce-sensitiveZabrak brothers known as Darth Maul and Savage Opress who were knocked out after the Skirmish on Florrum. Vizsla and Katan later brought the brothers back to their camp on Zanbar for repairs. Once Maul had awaken, he showed aggression to the Death Watch members when Katan threatened him by pointing her blaster towards Savage if he tried anything to harm them. The brother and Vizsla later gradually introduced each other then later swapped stories on how they came to where they are. Both Death Watch and the brothers later found that they had a common enemy in Jedi MasterObi-Wan Kenobi. Vizsla invited Maul for a tea in his tent, where he told Maul the plans of taking over Mandalore. When Maul said it was will of the the Force which made them meet, Katan pointed out her scepticism in allying with the Sith, saying that the Sith brothers are no better than CountDooku, who once betrayed them. She also said that the brothers are weak, as they were "put together" by the Death Watch after Kenobi defeated them on Florrum. Maul got angry on hearing it, and started choking Katan, saying that they will defeat all the pacifist Mandalorians, Dooku and all other common enemies. After it, he released Katan, who smirked at Vizsla. The Sith brothers later aligned themselves to Death Watch to help them liberate Mandalore from Satine Kryze.[3]

Mission to Mustafar

After pointing out that the Death Watch warriors were not yet ready to takeover Mandalore, Maul suggested enlisting the help of the Black Sun who were located at Mustafar to begin creating an army. Bo-Katan along with the brothers and Vizsla with a strike team scurried to the volcanic planet. After the death of the Black Sun leaders, Maul gave the opportunity to join them to Ziton Moj, who carefully chose to help them embark on their campaign to Mandalore. Shortly after returning to Zanbar, the Pyke Syndicate were willing to joined them and help overthrow the Duchess.[3]

Mission to Nal Hutta

"(Laughing) I see that negotiations have gone as planned."

―Bo-Katan, after the attempt to convince the Hutt Grand Council to join them failed.[src]

After the Pykes joined Darth Maul's Shadow Collective, they headed towards Nal Hutta to enlist the help of the Hutt Grand Council. After negotiations have failed, bounty hunters pursued the brothers and Vizsla outside where Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls were awaiting the return of them. While Katan and her warriors fought on The Hutt guards, Maul, Vizsla and Savage faced off Sugi and Embo. After the fight had cleared up, the bounty hunters managed to get away safely with minor injuries. The Death Watch warriors were then able to capture a member of the Hutt Council who was left behind known as Oruba. He was later killed after telling them that the rest left for Tatooine.[3]

Mission to Tatooine

Bo-Katan (2nd from left) with three other Death watch lieutenants in Jabba's Palace

Shortly after learning that the Hutts have fled to Jabba's Palace on Tatooine, the Brothers and Death Watch launched a small attack to give Jabba a last chance to join them. After briefly seeing what the Shadow Collective was capable of and how they performed in action, the Hutts agreed to join them. However, outside the castle Vizsla told Katan to be aware, as they are going to take over Mandalore and they would finish with Maul and Opress.[3]

Takeover of Sundari

"Duchess Satine and the New Mandalorians have fled in cowardice while Death Watch brought these criminals to justice! Your new Prime Minister, Pre Vizsla, leader of Death Watch, exiled Governor of Concordia, true son of Mandalore, presents you with the lords of the most feared crime families in the galaxy!"

―Bo-Katan, presenting the victory of the capture of the attackers and claiming Vizsla as Mandalore.[src]

After the Shadow Collective was at its full potential, Maul and Death Watch advised a plan to turn the people of Mandalore to Pre Vizsla that instructed the crime gangsters to attack several locations around the New Mandalorian capitalcity of Sundari, including the shipping docks and the Mandalore Banking Center. Then, Death Watch would come in and stop the vile thugs and claim Mandalore for themselves in order to gain the trust of the people. After the plan had gone underway, Vizsla alongside with Katan approached Satine while she tried to calm the people. After gaining support from the people, Death Watch began to capture the attackers. Katan was tasked on capturing the Black Sun member Ziton Moj who was attacking a civilized area. After fulfilling her assignment, she helped two children out of hiding.

After Death Watch took control of Sundari, they found no more use for Maul and Savage and imprisoned them. After escaping from the Sundari prison, Maul challenged Vizsla to a duel to the death, which Maul won. After witnessing the death of her former leader, Katan refused to serve under the clutches of Maul, an outsider, and took a few still-loyal soldiers including her Nite Owls and fought on the traitors. With minor losses Katan managed to escape.[9]

Bo-Katan, along with Satine's nephew Korkie Kryze and the Nite Owls, freed Duchess Satine from the imprisonment and led the Mandalorian super commandos on a chase through Sundari. Unfortunately, Satine was soon recaptured, and it was revealed that Maul allowed her to escape so that she would contact Obi-Wan Kenobi for help. As Mandalore was a neutral planet, the Jedi Order had no jurisdiction so he would be forced to come alone. Bo-Katan watched as Kenobi arrived and rescued Satine from prison yet again, only to be stopped and captured along with her. After Maul killed Satine, she rescued Kenobi as he was being taken to prison, and they and the Nite Owls fought their way to a Kom'rk-class fighter/transport. Bo-Katan told Kenobi to go to the Republic for help, because, with the Sith involved, it was now a Republic matter. When he mentioned that the Republic would invade, she replied, "Mandalore will survive. We always survive." Kenobi deduced that Satine was Bo-Katan's sister and gave her his condolences before flying away.[6]

Personality and traits

Bo-Katan was a confident and brave woman and a fierce warrior. Proud to serve the Death Watch and its goals of restoring the glory of the Mandalorians' past, Katan was steadfast in her loyalty to both the group and it's leader, Pre Vizsla, who in turn trusted Katan to lead and act as an enforcer in his absence.[1] Her loyalty was shown after the takeover of Sundari, when Vizsla was killed by Maul, she collected the still-loyal members of Death Watch[9], and joined forces with Obi-Wan Kenobi, in order to gain back what was taken away by the Sith brothers.[10]

Bo-Katan was also able to withstand heavy physical punishment, as shown when she was choked for half a minute by Darth Maul, but when released, she just smirked at Vizsla, after she told Maul straight what she thought about the Sith in general, also showing her plain-spoken personality.[3]

As a leader of Nite Owls, she always tried to help out the rest of Death Watch, making victory the first goal. She also cared little of danger, which was shown when she bravely took up the fight with the bounty hunters on Nal Hutta.[3]

Skills and abilities

Bo-Katan was Pre Vizsla's second in command. Her combat skills were beyond many of her fellows, as shown when she fought her former Death Watch allies, dispatching of one on a jetpack within seconds. Katan herself was skilled in flying with a jetpack and used it often.[6]

Equipment

Bo-Katan in full Mandalorian armor

Katan wore a set of Mandalorian armor comprised of several individual plates colored both metallic gray and blue. A pair of circular sigils adorned her armor's shoulder plates. Katan's custom helmet featured a rangefinder, and was stood apart from its contemporaries with a more curved and slanted take[11] on the traditional Mandalorian T-visor.[12] The unique visor was also outlined with a white trim that, together with the detailing of the surrounding face of the helmet, was reminiscent of a stylized predatory bird, likely a reference to her affiliation, the Nite Owls.[11] Katan's armor was equipped with numerous mounted weapons, including dart launchers, blasters, and blades encased within her gauntlets. She also carried two blaster pistols which she holstered on her armor's thigh plates, and maintained a jetpack for flight.[1]

Behind the scenes

Dave Filoni's painting of Bo-Katan with her helmet off.

Bo-Katan first appeared in the fourteenth episode of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series' fourth season, entitled "A Friend in Need," though her face was not seen. Bo-Katan's voice was provided by actressKatee Sackhoff.[13] Bo-Katan also returned for the series' fifth season. Although her familial relationship to Satine Kryze was stated in The Lawless, her last name being the same as Satine was not directly stated in the episode itself. It was instead revealed in the trivia gallery for the episode on the official Star Wars website. In addition, initial scripts as well as the book The Clone Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy originally intended for Satine and Bo-Katan's relationship to only be indirectly mentioned, although it was later changed to be directly stated in the aired version of the episode.

Bo-Katan was created primarily as a reason to give female fans more opportunities for armored cosplay.[14] The source of Bo-Katan's name and pronunciation is explained by Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni on his Facebook page as being a portmanteau of the names of his wife and her pet cat. He further describes the pronunciation as sounding similar to Boca Raton.[15]

In one of Dave Filoni's paintings of the character, Bo-Katan is shown with her helmet off displaying her shoulder-length red hair.[2][15]